When a trusted and respected consumer products review magazine does not properly test and evaluate a product category, their product recommendations can actually be a HUGE DIS-SERVICE to their readers and to the general public. According to many top air cleaner and air purifier manufacturers, this is the case in the October 2005 & the December 2007 issues of Consumer Reports Magazine where the magazine includes articles titled "Air Cleaners: Some Do Little Cleaning and "Air Purifiers, Filtering The Claims". In these horrible and inaccurate articles, Consumer Reports Magazine glorifies the poorly designed, low quality room air cleaners, giving them top recommendations, and failed to recognize the vastly superior HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers such as the Austin Air Healthmate HEPA air cleaner, the TRACS HEPA Air Purifier, the EZ Air HEPA air cleaner and the Bio-Net Air Purifier that include Enhanced Germicidal Filtration {EGF} technology or non ozone producing Ultraviolet light systems which also will eliminate mold spores, bacteria and viruses from the indoor air environment. These top quality brands of HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers are recognized by well known top air cleaner and air purifier dealers, product reviewers and general every day users from around the world as the top HEPA room air cleaners and HEPA air purifiers on the market available for home, hospital and business use. The answer to the question of why these brands and models of the highest quality HEPA air cleaners and HEPA air purifiers are getting poor and improper recognition of their true air cleaning abilities is simple: It's because of CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE'S reliance on INADEQUATE AND INAPPROPROPRIATE testing methods and the result is tarnishing the reputations of the truly high quality HEPA air cleaner and air purifier brands that are readily available to the people that need them. This is no mystery to the leading air cleaner experts and the manufacturers of the highest quality HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers. The problem stems from Consumer Reports' adoption of an inadequate test protocol called the clean air delivery rate also known as the CADR testing protocol originating from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). AHAM is a trade association that promotes air cleaning products for the interests of their paying members, who just happen to mostly be the very manufacturers of the commonly found air cleaners and air purifiers in the major big box department chain stores such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Lowes etc... Many air cleaner and air purifier manufacturers that are non-AHAM members refuse to join because of the way AHAM conducts its CADR testing methods and business. Many also feel that AHAM is a self- serving marketing club for its PAYING MEMBER'S that happen to mostly be the giant corporate general and small appliance manufacturers that AHAM represents! AND READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Not only does AHAM do the promoting and testing of their own member's air cleaners and air purifiers, AHAM also has a vested interest in the profits their members make! Here's why: To be a member of AHAM a factory or company must pay a large sum of money each year for the membership alone! But on top of that membership fee, members must also pay AHAM a percentage of money earned from the total sales of the AHAM represented air cleaners or air purifiers that are sold each and every year as a member! This can add up to a HUGE amount of money per year! So is it ethical for Consumers Reports Magazine to promote and accept AHAM's CADR testing methods when AHAM is literally making money from the profits of it's own members sales that they represent??? WE DON'T THINK SO! DO YOU? There are five huge flaws to Consumer Reports' air cleaner testing that result in misleading recommendations to consumers. First, many of Consumer Reports' top ranked air cleaner products use electrostatic or ionizing technologies which add an electrostatic charge to airborne particles causing them to temporarily adhere or drop to and stick to a nearby surface such as the walls or the floor of the testing area. THIS PREVENTS THE AIRBORNE ALLERGENS AND PARTICULATES FROM EVER MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE AIR CLEANERS AND TEST EQUIPMENT in the testing chamber. This temporarily repels the particles away from the detection area of the particle counting test equipment, but when the electrostatic charge dissipates those particles can quickly become airborne again. Consumer Reports' does not distinguish between particles permanently removed by the air cleaner and charged particles that are temporarily attached to test chamber surfaces through ionization, and there is a huge difference between the two as it affects your everyday breathing.. The Austin Air Healthmate, the TRACS, the EZ AIR and BIO-NET air cleaners and air purifiers all clean the air by HEPA quality filtration thus capturing and permanently removing the airborne particles from the room or open area at a very high air exchange rate per hour, never to become airborne again. Second, Consumer Reports only tests for an air cleaners' ability to affect the largest 20% of airborne particles. Scientists agree that it is the ultra-fine particles that present the greatest health risks to consumers because they can penetrate deeply into the lungs and reach every cell of our bodies. Many room air cleaners sold to consumers have poor efficiency for ultra-fine particles. Units containing certified hospital grade HEPA filters have a minimum efficiency of 99.97% on particles down to 0.3 microns, and therefore are capable of removing these harmful ultra-fine particles. This efficiency rating is known as the H13 standard for HEPA filters, and is standard with most individually certified HEPA filters. Third, Consumer Reports fails to test room air cleaners for their ability to remove chemical off- gassing, {Volatile Organic Compounds} -VOCs and odors from the indoor environment. Chemical off- gassing, VOCs and odors significantly contribute to potentially unhealthy indoor air pollution. Not testing for chemical off- gassing, VOCs and odor removal ability significantly disadvantages air cleaners that contain considerable odor/chemical filtration technologies. Some of the air cleaners and air purifiers tested by Consumer Reports are advertised as being effective against gases and odors, but only two of the air cleaners we found tested contain significant gas and odor filtration. In order for people to benefit from effective odor, chemical, and gas removal, significant amounts of odor adsorption filtration must be employed. The primary means of odor, chemical, and gas removal is through activated and blended carbons, and given carbon adsorbs fumes like a sponge. Units using bulk carbon filters (at least 3 1/2 lbs replaced approximately three or more times per year) are able to remove far more odors chemicals, and gases than systems that use only a very small amount of carbon, mostly almost worthless carbon dust impregnated into thin fiber pads. Multiple pounds of activated carbon are a much safer and superior technology than what is found in ionizers as well, for ionizers typically produce non- adjustable levels of ozone, which is often their only means of odor removal. However, as stated by the US Environmental Protection Agency, units that produce ozone can present a health risk, especially for those with asthma or lung problems given the amount of ozone needed to effectively remove odors. Fourth, it is amazing that Consumer Reports fails to inform consumers that the entirety of their air cleaner evaluation is based on a very short period of testing time. We believe that this short test time is ineffective and should be totally changed to test for both the short and long term cleaning ability of air cleaners and air purifiers. Air cleaning experts have long been aware that poorly designed air cleaners lose much of their effectiveness within a very short period of operating time. Long-term testing would reveal the inefficiency of electrostatic precipitators, ionizers and units that combine air filters with ionizers as proper air cleaners and air purifiers. It would also demonstrate the problems inherent in air cleaners that use synthetic HEPA instead of mechanical HEPA. Mechanical HEPA filtration has been the technology of choice in critical environments, such as hospitals and clean rooms for decades. Although air cleaners with synthetic HEPA filters have a higher initial airflow in a testing chamber, they have been demonstrated and proven to significantly lose efficiency and re-release particles over time. Air cleaners that use individually certified HEPA filters (the same as those used in hospitals across the world) do not lose their efficiency over time. In fact, a certified HEPA filter's efficiency actually increases as it becomes clogged, for it becomes more and more difficult for particles to pass through. Lastly, while Consumer Reports scorns some air cleaners for producing ozone, they have backhandedly recommend air cleaners that also produce significant amounts of ozone. Consumer Reports appears to take the stance that some degree of ozone production is acceptable in room air cleaners. ALSO, SADLY Consumer Reports gives some of its highest ratings to air cleaners and air purifiers that do not use certified HEPA filters! Many of these top rated air cleaners also emit negative ions into the air forcing the dust and allergens to drop onto your bed while you are sleeping and onto other surfaces away from the air cleaner itself! This is one of the tricks being used to get high CADR test ratings because the particulates never make it to the air cleaner to be tested at the unit's exhaust point, and this forces the floating particulates out of suspension in the test room or chamber, effectively manipulating the test TO FOOL YOU THE CONSUMER! Ethical HEPA air cleaner manufacturers that produce quality air cleaner and air purifier products share the belief of the American Lung Association that HEPA air cleaners and air purifiers should not produce any amounts of ozone. Most of the air cleaners and air purifiers tested and recommended by Consumer Reports would not be deemed acceptable to be used in hospitals and other critical environments due to the unreliability of their technology and their poor long-term performance. Consumer Reports Magazine needs to recognize that people use room air cleaners and air purifiers to provide honest, healthy environments in their homes and work places. The people that read and trust Consumer Reports Magazine deserve air cleaner evaluations at the same high standards used by hospitals and other critical environments. If Consumer Reports Magazine adopts better testing methods, they will soon realize they have long recommended poorly designed room air cleaners and air purifiers. It is a true fact that for many years now, air cleaner and air purifier manufactures and dealers have been complaining to Consumer Reports about upgrading their testing methods with absolutely no luck at all! It is our opinion that both the people at Consumer Reports magazine and AHAM should both consult with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers {ASHRAE} for new, proper air cleaner and air purifier standards to assure that the air cleaning products that are manufactured and recommended, truly perform as advertised for the benefit of the people that operate them. NOTE: On December 11th & 12th 2007 I called Consumer Reports Magazine in my attempt to again talk to someone in the division that tests the air cleaner and air purifiers about how and why they do their testing to AHAM's CADR standards. I told the customer relations reprehensive that helped me that I wanted to know why the magazine still continues to use the CADR testing method and I told her all about my concerns, The Rep's name was Kim H. Kim was very nice and I believe that she really did her best to help me as she called me back a couple of times to tell me that she forwarded my concerns to the right people with the word urgent in the message but they did not return her calls or E-mail. All she could tell me was that she had no idea why they would not contact her or me back about this subject. I guess this is the way Consumers Reports conducts business with people that question the way they test their products! I feel that this is very wrong and any company that is in business to guide people that have such total trust in them should be ready to hear the concerns of the people that are affected by their published product choices so they can always strive to do better for the millions of people that follow their recommendations! So for now if you are searching for a quality air cleaner or air purifier it is advisable to do your own diligent research and question the specialized and professional air cleaner and air purifier dealers that sell them so you can make an educated decision when purchasing an air cleaner or air purifier that will best suit your needs! I will end this by saying: Come on Consumer Reports Magazine At Consumers Union In Yonkers New York! It's time to do the right thing! Change these self-serving appliance industry AHAM CADR testing methods to a new and higher level of testing standards. Air cleaners and air purifiers tested by new, proper standards will benefit the people that need to own quality air cleaners and air purifiers. Carefully controlled standards and testing procedures will assure people with chronic health problems that they will have cleaner safer air to breathe. Please upgrade your testing methods to benefit the public and your many readers! Consumer Reports Magazine, the words below in quotes are yours as written on the home page of consumersunion.org "Consumers Union (CU) is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization, whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers". When are you going to live up to your own words for the air cleaner and air purifier industry as a whole? It is our hope that you have learned and benefited from reading this important report. If you have any questions about choosing the proper air cleaner or air purifier that will best fit your needs, please see our website at http://www.aircleaners.com or call us direct at Toll Free 1-888-578-7324. Ask for Barry Cohen the owner and he will personally help you. This report is 100% free and you are welcome to reprint it on your website to share with your readers as long as you include the resource information links to the website{s} shown above. | 
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